The Specialities Tour #1
14 Nights/15 Days
How to Book Your Birding Trip to Guyana
This tour is primarily intended for keen birders who have made several trips to other parts of South America and want to see as many as possible of the regional specialities which occur in Guyana. Some of the special birds we will look for on this trip include Red-legged Tinamou, Black Curassow, Marail Guan, Rufous Crab-Hawk, Harpy Eagle, Sun Parakeet, Caica Parrot, Blue-cheeked Amazon, Red-fan Parrot, Rufous-winged Ground-Cuckoo, White-winged and Rufous Potoos, Guianan Puffbird, Black-spotted Barbet, Guianan Toucanet, Green Aracari, Golden-spangled and White-bellied Piculets, Blood-coloured Woodpecker, Golden-collared Woodpecker, Waved Woodpecker, Hoary-throated Spinetail, Red-billed and Chestnut-rumped Woodcreepers Rio Branco Antbird, Guianan Warbling Antbird, Ferruginous-backed Antbird, Rufous-throated Antbird and Rufous-crowned Elaenia and Guianan Streaked, Rufous-bellied, Spot-tailed and Todd’s Antwren. Other species we stand an excellent chance of seeing include Guianan Cock-of-the-Rock, Guianan Red-Cotinga, Crimson Fruitcrow, Capuchinbird, Dusky Purpletuft, Tiny Tyrant-Manakin, Black Manakin, Cayenne Jay, Golden-sided Euphonia and Red Siskin.
Day 1 Arrival Guyana. Transfer to Georgetown. Overnight at Cara Lodge, Georgetown (D)
Day 2 Georgetown area. After an early breakfast, we will travel eastward from Georgetown to look for Blood-coloured Woodpecker and Rufous Crab-Hawk, the first of the many range-restricted species we will be hoping to find on this tour. The woodpecker is only known from a narrow coastal strip which runs eastward for just a few hundred miles from Guyana. We will also look for the poorly-known White-bellied Piculet which can be found in this area. An area of mangrove less than 50 kilometres from Georgetown is a good place to find Rufous Crab-Hawk, a species which has been badly affected by the reduction in this habitat type. This is also a reliable site for the Woodpecker and Piculet, so we stand an excellent chance of seeing all three species. On our return journey to Georgetown, we will visit some mudflats where we are likely to find a range of waders as well as Scarlet Ibis, Black Skimmer, Brown Pelican and Magnificent Frigatebird. Depending on the time of year, we may also visit a heronry where Black-crowned and Yellow-crowned Night-herons, Little Blue Herons and Cattle and Snowy Egrets breed alongside Snail Kites. Overnight at Cara Lodge, Georgetown (B, L, D)
Day 3 Karasabai/Lethem. Shortly after dawn, we will fly over hundreds of miles of untouched rainforest to the village of Karasabai on the western border with Brazil. After arriving, we will travel by boat on the nearby Ireng River to look one of the rarest birds in Guyana, the Sun Parakeet. Other species which can be seen here include Maguari Stork, Muscovy Duck, Crested Bobwhite, Painted Parakeet and Orange-backed Troupial. After several hours on the river, we will drive to Lethem in Southern Guyana. Overnight at Savannah Inn, Lethem (B, L, D)
Day 4 Lethem area. Another early start awaits us as we will be travelling several hours south of Lethem to look for another endangered bird, the Red Siskin, an additional species that has been decimated by the cage bird trade and which was only discovered in Guyana in recent years. Depending on how long our search for the Red Siskin takes, there should be time for some further birding in the area, although an alternative option is to visit some forested hills on the edge of the Kanuku Mountain range. Overnight at Savannah Inn, Lethem (B, L, D)
Day 5 Takatu and Ireng rivers/Karanambu. Today we will be turning our attention to the endangered Hoary-throated Spinetail and near-threatened Rio Branco Antbird. Both are only found in gallery forest along the Rio Branco and its main tributaries (all of which ultimately flow into the Amazon). We will travel by boat down the Takatu River and then up the Ireng River for about two hours in each direction, during which time we are likely to encounter species such as Capped Heron, Muscovy Duck, Pale-legged Hornero and various hirundines. Whilst the habitat needs of the Antbird and Spinetail are seemingly slightly different, they can both be found along a comparatively short stretch of the Ireng River. Returning to Lethem in the late afternoon, we will drive to Karanambu Ranch. Overnight at Karanambu (B, L, D)
Days 6 & 7 Karanambu. During our stay here, we will be birding in a wide range of habitats including savannah grasslands, gallery forest, woodland patches and oxbow lakes. Amongst the specialities we are unlikely to see elsewhere on this tour is the odd-looking, coffee-coloured Capuchinbird. Another of our targets will be the near-threatened Bearded Tachuri. Other species we will be looking for include Boat-billed Heron, Pinnated Bittern, Sunbittern, Sharp-tailed Ibis, Green-tailed Jacamar, Spotted Puffbird, Black Nunbird, White-fringed Antwren, Black-chinned and White-bellied Antbirds, Finsch’s Euphonia and Rose-breasted Chat. We will make a boat trip either very early in the morning or late in the day on the Rupununi River to look for the rare Crestless (or Lesser Razor-billed) Curassow. After dark we can search for at least six species of nightjar and nighthawk including Nacunda, Least and Lesser Nighthawks, White-tailed Nightjar, as well as Double-striped Thick-knee. Overnight at Karanambu (B, L, D)
Day 8 Surama. We will leave Karanambu after breakfast for Surama Eco-lodge. The journey itself takes about 3 hours, however, we will be birding along the way. Initially we will travel by boat and this should give us another excellent opportunity to look for various river-edge, wetland and open country species. We stand a good chance of seeing Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, Jabiru, Wood Stork, Green Ibis, Northern (Crested) Caracara, Black-collared Hawk, Zone-tailed Hawk, Brown-throated Parakeet and Swallow-wing. Arriving at Ginep Landing, we will board vehicles for the journey to Surama. Amongst the species we hope to encounter along the way are Red-shouldered Macaw, Golden-winged Parakeet, Sooty-capped Hermit, White-tailed Goldenthroat, Cinnamon Attila, Yellow-throated Flycatcher, Cayenne Jay, Finsch’s Euphonia and Orange-backed Troupial. Our main birding stop will, however, be near the village of Wowetta, where we will visit one of the largest known Guianan Cock-of-the-Rock leks in Guyana. Up to thirty males may be seen displaying here. Overnight at Surama Eco-Lodge (B, L, D)
Days 9 & 10 Surama. During our stay at Surama we will visit a nearby Harpy Eagle nest, assuming it is active. The nest itself is located in a huge emergent tree only a couple of miles from the village and if we are extremely fortunate, we may see one of the adult birds bringing a sloth or monkey to the nest to feed their chick. Another of the special birds which can be found around Surama is the Rufous-winged Ground-cuckoo. Whilst Neomorphus ground-cuckoos are undoubtedly amongst the toughest family of birds to locate anywhere in the Neotropics, Surama offers one of the best-known chances for seeing Rufous-winged Ground-cuckoo. To maximise the odds of us finding one, we will use expert local guides to assist us. There are plenty of other species to look for and during our stay we will hope to encounter Red-legged Tinamou, Painted Parakeet, Dusky Parrot, Lilac-tailed Parrotlet, Pale-throated Barbthroat, Rufous-throated Sapphire, Great and Paradise Jacamars, Guianan Puffbird, Black-spotted Barbet, Golden-spangled Piculet, Chestnut-rumped Woodcreeper, Northern Slaty-Antshrike, Rufous-bellied, Spot-tailed and Todd’s Antwrens, Dusky, White-browed, White-bellied, Ferruginous-backed, Rufous-throated and Guianan Warbling Antbirds, Helmeted Pygmy-Tyrant, Lemon-chested and Ashy-headed Greenlets and Finsch’s Euphonia. We also plan to do some night birding and will hope to locate the recently split Northern Tawny-bellied Screech-Owl, as well as Tropical Screech-Owl, Lesser Nighthawk, White-tailed Nightjar and Great and Common Potoos. Overnight at Surama Eco-Lodge (B, L, D)
Day 11 Atta Rainforest Lodge. After an early breakfast, we will spend most of the morning birding along the road to Atta Rainforest Lodge, which passes through some excellent forest. We will be looking for species such as Grey-winged Trumpeter, Green Aracari, Guianan Toucanet, Spotted Puffbird, Black-spotted Barbet and Black Nunbird, as well as a variety of parrots including Black-headed and Caica. After lunch at the Lodge, we will drive to an area of white-sand forest where our target birds will include Guianan Red-Cotinga, Black Manakin, Rufous-crowned Elaenia, Yellow-throated Flycatcher and the elusive Rufous-winged Ground-cuckoo. The range-restricted Blue-cheeked Amazon can be found not too much further along the road. As dusk turns to night, we will search for Rufous Potoo on a stretch of road where it has been seen previously. Overnight at Atta Rainforest Lodge (B, L, D)
Days 12 & 13 Canopy Walkway. Although the forest around Atta Lodge is excellent for birds, the major attraction here is a 154m-long canopy walkway which is only 750m from the lodge. The walkway allows us to get great looks at a range of canopy species. Amongst the likely highlights are Painted, Brown-throated and Golden-winged Parakeets, Caica Parrot, Guianan Puffbird, Waved and Golden-collared Woodpeckers and Spot-tailed, Todd’s and Ash-winged Antwrens. It is also an excellent place to look for various species of cotinga including the poorly known and range-restricted Dusky Purpletuft and the more widespread Purple-breasted Cotinga. The clearing around the lodge is one of the best places to see another of Guyana’s “must see” birds, the Crimson Fruitcrow. It is also a reliable site to see a family of Black Curassow which has become habituated to people. Other species we hope to encounter during our stay include Spix’s and Marail Guans, Grey-winged Trumpeter, Red-fan Parrot, Eastern Long-tailed Hermit, Crimson Topaz, Great and Paradise Jacamars, Guianan and Pied Puffbirds, Guianan Toucanet, Red-billed Woodcreeper, Black-throated Antshrike, Guianan Streaked Antwren, Guianan Warbling Antbird, Pompadour Cotinga, Purple-throated Fruitcrow, Tiny Tyrant-Manakin, Helmeted Pygmy-Tyrant, Golden-sided Euphonia and both Red-and-Black and Yellow-green Grosbeaks. Another of our major targets will be the poorly known White-winged Potoo which, after dark, can be found both around the lodge and at the walkway, but we will need a bright moon-lit night to stand a reasonable chance of seeing it. Overnight at Atta Rainforest Lodge (B, L, D)
Day 14 Georgetown. After some more early morning birding, we will leave Atta Rainforest Lodge for the airstrip at the nearby village of Annai, from where we will fly by charter flight to Kaieteur, the longest single-drop waterfall in the world. Here we can expect to find vast clouds of swifts which could include both White-chinned and White-tipped Swifts, as well as the Orange-breasted Falcons which hunt the swifts. There is a small lek (i.e. display ground) of the extremely colourful Guianan Cock-of-the-Rock nearby which we will visit before re-boarding the plane for the flight back to Georgetown, where we will spend the last night. Overnight at Cara Lodge, Georgetown (B, L, D)
Day 15 Depart Guyana. Transfer to Guyana's international airport for your departing flight. (B)
How to Book Your Birding Trip to Guyana
Itinerary © 2008
